By KALEY CONNER
High Plains Mental Health Center
When Triston Albert was 15, he was diagnosed with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. At that time, Albert said the picture painted for him seemed a little bleak. He understood the condition could be long-term or life-long and accepted the reality that he would probably need to be on medications for the rest of his life. But even the newest and best prescriptions were not enough to alleviate the challenging symptoms.
Fast forward about 11 years, and Albert, now representing individuals served on the High Plains Mental Health Center governing board, was among the first to learn of an innovative new treatment option.
High Plains Mental Health Center became the first Community Mental Health Center in Kansas to implement Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, a non-invasive and medication-free treatment clinically proven to reduce symptoms of treatment-resistant depression.
Albert became one of the first northwest Kansas residents to complete a treatment course, and the results have been life-changing.
“My first reaction was skepticism. Because it’s new and it’s messing with my brain,” Albert said. “But I cannot argue with the result. The facts are irrefutable, and I would recommend this to anybody who may need it.”
TMS typically requires 36 treatments, which are provided Monday through Friday for about seven weeks. TMS uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain involved in mood regulation. Albert, a Hays resident, began treatment in August 2024 and completed his last session in October.
Since then, he estimates at least a 60-percent reduction in his depressive symptoms. His memory is sharper, and he can more easily focus and make decisions.
His ability to manage both time and money has improved, and for the first time in many years, he is craving social interaction and wants to be around other people instead of isolating at home. It’s also very significant that he is no longer experiencing suicidal thoughts, he said.
Albert said he is more self-motivated, has much more energy, and, for the first time, is not experiencing worsening depression in winter due to seasonal affective changes. He’s able to maintain a healthy weight and stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Overall, he says he feels healthier than he’s ever been.
“I wouldn’t even say that I have treatment-resistant major depressive disorder anymore. I would just say that I have experience with major depressive disorder, and I would say I have mild depression,” he said. “I’m happy. I’m very happy.”
Albert kept a journal detailing all of his treatment sessions and the effects he noticed — both positive and negative.
The negatives were few and far between, he said, noting how he occasionally experienced a minor headache, topical discomfort on the top of his head, or slight twitching in his eye or jaw. Any side effects were short-lived for him, never lasting beyond the day of treatment, he said.
The positives were more pronounced and longer-lasting — he continues to see the benefits every day.
“After a week of doing it, I could feel my brain had been correcting itself through the treatments. The first week, I felt a weight lifted off of me,” Albert said. “By the second week, I definitely felt a shift in my personality. … Things I didn’t like, I enjoy now.”
As the fog of depression began to lift, Albert said it caught him off guard when he began experiencing a wide array of other emotions. He had been depressed for so long, he realized he had to learn how to identify and manage other feelings that typically pop up in daily life, like joy, anger, or excitement. In that way, Albert said, it felt kind of like being a teenager again.
Reflecting on his teenage years, Albert remembers how difficult it was to navigate that time in his life while experiencing severe depression. He ultimately dropped out of high school and earned a GED.
TMS is approved for treatment in individuals 15 and older as recommended by a psychiatrist. Albert said that’s one reason he initially supported the technology as a member of the High Plains Mental Health Center governing board. Had TMS been available to him as a teenager, that part of his story might have turned out differently, he said.
Albert is now able to work full-time, moving from a part-time position to a full-time management role with a local retail store. He loves his job, enjoys working with people, is making new friends, and has plans to come off the medical disability benefits he had applied for at the height of his depression when he was physically and mentally unable to maintain employment.
He continues to take certain medications and follow a treatment plan for remaining symptoms, but has been able to discontinue some prescriptions and others might soon follow. Overall, he says, TMS has been a complete game-changer.
“The best words I could use to describe the TMS machine, it is revolutionary,” he said. “I really feel a sense of debt, because it feels like a gift. I’ve been given a gift.”
Albert said there’s only one thing he doesn’t like about TMS – currently, Kansas Medicaid will not pay for TMS, and that’s a barrier for some who may qualify for treatment.
Other major insurers, including Medicare and Blue Cross, do provide coverage for TMS. Albert is not alone in his recovery journey – TMS has been found highly effective nationally, with 83 percent of patients reporting symptom reduction and improved functioning.
About 62 percent of clients improved to the point that they no longer met diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder.
Albert has gotten to know other individuals living with major depressive disorder, and he tries to set a good example and encourage others not to give up. The key, he said, is to not stop trying.
“You cannot give up. The moment you give up, you are in defeat, and you cannot let depression literally drag you down. That’s what it’s there for, don’t let it do its job,” he said. “You are able to overcome it and manage it if you try.
“(Because of TMS) I feel really different, and I would recommend this to anybody who may need it.”
TMS services are available at the Hays Main Office of High Plains Mental Health Center, 208 E. Seventh St. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call 1-800-432-0333.
Help is always available by calling High Plains Mental Health Center at 1-800-432-0333, or by calling or texting 988, the Kansas suicide prevention lifeline.